===== Chapter 1 =====
Priorities
"Don't worry; you'll be fine. I've got your back."
Corporal Devan nodded in acknowledgement and stepped off the ramp, crossing her arms over her chest while remaining as straight as she could. Lucretia looked over the edge and watched as her partner plunged into the water below, slipping below the surface without so much as a single ripple.
"Good luck, ma'am!" said the dropship's crew chief, trying to voice himself over the dull hum of the ship's engines.
Staff Sergeant Lucretia gave him a half salute then stepped off the ramp as well, piercing the water's surface the same way her partner had just moments ago. The chill of the nighttime air, combined with the sudden rush of water against her face, heightened her sense of awareness. She felt calm as she returned to the surface, the cold breeze nipping at her wet face. Looking up, she searched the sky for the transport that brought them to the insertion point, an oasis in the middle of the desert. Even though it was dark, there was just enough light from the moons to see the dropship fly away towards the horizon.
To avoid detection by the enemy, Lucretia and Devan were dropped miles away from their target, choosing to deploy at night in order to utilize the cover of darkness during their insertion. The ship they came in on was disguised as a civilian transport to throw off any lurking pirate scouts in the area. The ship didn't stop and linger to drop them off, so they had to plunge into the water below as it flew by, though it was at a slow enough pace.
Looking further up into the sky, Lucretia noticed the stars and couldn't help but admire them for a brief moment. A brief moment of levity before a long haul was always something she appreciated, and they had a long way to walk.
Seeing her partner lost in deep thought, probably pondering about some minute thing, Devan tossed a pebble from the shore at her to break her out of the trance. "C'mon, ma'am. I've already retrieved my gear from the bottom of the pool," she said.
After shaking off her musing, Lucretia looked to Devan and refocused on the mission. "Sorry about that. Just don't get to see the stars like this that often in the city," she said with a bit of hesitation in her voice. Remembering the mission, she dove under the water and searched around for the bag containing her gear. Although she was swimming in combat boots, she still managed to swiftly navigate through the small lake, kicking rapidly through the water. With the moons above providing some light, she looked back and forth along the bottom then finally spotted the fluorescent stripes on her black duffel bag.
Lucretia started to swim towards it until without warning, she felt something grasp her leg. She was then pulled forcefully away through the water, bubbles escaping her mouth as she gasped from the surprise. When she turned around, she saw what had grabbed her: a desert crackaw which was a massive crab-like creature with two lethal claws and a bioluminescent body. It stood four feet tall, walked on six legs, and wielded two meaty claws that could pierce some of the densest metals.
The creature had Lucretia's leg gripped lightly at the moment, so she acted quickly before she lost a limb. She drew her sidearm and emptied the magazine into the creature's vulnerable spot: its exposed eyes. The raging crab let go of her as it drifted downwards to the bottom of the pool, spewing its light-blue blood into the water. After holstering her gun, she quickly swam back to the surface before she ran out of air, gasping heavily as she breached the surface.
"Ma'am, are you okay!?" asked Devan as she watched from nearby. Her sidearm was drawn and ready to defend her partner from the unseen assailant.
"I'm fine. It was just a pesky crackaw," said Lucretia before taking a deep breath and going back under to recover her bag. After retrieving it, she swam over to Devan who was already on the shore checking her equipment. "You seem eager to get started," she said as she opened up her bag.
"I'm just excited to finally be doing another op with you, ma'am," said Devan with a smile. "It makes me happy to do these kinds of missions. Alone in a remote area. Just the two of us. It's a perfect time to have some good quality girl talk, ya know?"
"If that's the only reason you signed up to be a recon sniper, then you're messed up in the head," said Lucretia. "But small talk once in a while is nice, I guess."
Devan smiled contently and said, "You know, ma'am, I think it was pretty lucky of me to have finished my training assignment early, wouldn't you say? I was able to get back just in time for the mission."
Lucretia looked away and frowned. "I wouldn't exactly call it lucky," she said.
"What do you mean, Lucky? Don't you like having me as a partner?" asked Devan with a confused look.
"Yes… No. You know what? Just forget it. Continue with your business, Rook," said Lucretia.
"Okay. Whatever you say, Lucky," said Devan. The two had little trouble getting their equipment squared away, and after that, they moved on to assembling their weapons. "Um, Lucky? The bolt isn't fitting right into the upper receiver…," she said as she fiddled with her rifle's parts.
Lucretia glared at Devan before scooting over next to her. "Here you are, after two years of field experience, asking me how to secure a bolt home? Are you serious?" she asked.
"I think there's something blocking it," said Devan.
Lucretia rolled her eyes and placed her hand on Devan's, leading her in the proper motion of installing the part. Devan blushed slightly but immediately turned away once she realized it, making sure that Lucretia didn't see.
"All you have to do is firmly hold it, and then ram it home till it clicks," said Lucretia while still holding Devan's hand. "You probably didn't lubricate it and that's why it's not fitting."
"Um, thank you, ma'am," said Devan.
"You're welcome. Now that's the last amateur screw up out of you, you get me? I've trained you better than that," said Lucretia.
"Don't worry. I think I got it now," said Devan while giving Lucretia a nod. She then went back to work reassembling her rifle which had to be broken down in order to fit in the bag.
Next to her, Lucretia packed all of the gear from her duffel bag somewhere on her person, stowing it away in the several pockets and pouches located on her tactical vest, fatigues, or utility belt. "Let's get moving. We need to find a suitable place to rest until the storm passes," she said once she was done.
There was a sandstorm raging near where they were situated, so they decided to sleep and wait in the oasis until it passed. Lucretia checked her internally suppressed submachine gun then began making her way through the thick oasis foliage, chopping it down one plant at a time with her machete. Devan slung her suppressed sniper rifle over her shoulder then picked up her suppressed submachine gun as well, following right behind Lucretia as she cleared a path through the bush. After making it up the bank by the pool of water, they searched for a place to rest until morning.
"That looks like a good spot," said Lucretia as she motioned towards a clearing under some palm trees. Their large leaves provided desirable cover while they slept, shielding them from the gaze of any aerial threats above. She and Devan meandered over to the clearing and laid on the sandy, desert ground to get some sleep. Lucretia was lying on her back with her arms folded behind her head while Devan was on her side, facing away from her.
"Get some rest, soldier. You're going to need it for the long hike to our final firing position," said Lucretia.
"R-Roger that, m-ma'am…," said Devan as she tried to get comfy.
As Lucretia laid there, she winced as she thought she heard some chattering sounds coming from beside her. "Is that you making that sound?" she asked, looking over at Devan. She then saw her partner bundled up in the fetal position, shivering while rubbing her arms.
"Y-Yes, m-ma'am," said Devan through chattering teeth.
"Are you… cold?" asked Lucretia.
"W-Well, this uniform was designed for the b-blistering temperatures of desert warfare, n-not the freezing cold," said Devan. There was a brief moment of silence between the two as Lucretia watched her partner shiver next to her. Feeling an arm reach around her, Devan's body tensed up. "M-Ma'am, what a-are you doing?"
"Calm down. I'm just trying to keep you warm," said Lucretia as she wrapped her arms around Devan, moving her body up close to hers.
"By cuddling up with me?" asked Devan.
"Do you want me to share my body heat with you or not? I'm used to the cold, so I don't mind sleeping by myself if you're uncomfortable with this," said Lucretia.
Devan paused for a moment and thought it over. "It's fine. I want to stay warm," she said.
"Good. I can't have my shooter getting sick on me. I need you in tip-top condition when you take the shot," said Lucretia as she held her partner close. Devan smiled and got more comfortable on the ground, her checks turning a slight shade of red as she closed her eyes.
#
"Stay down. Wait for them to pass," said Lucretia as she watched an enemy patrol drive by on small, single-person scout vehicles. "Don't do anything stupid, or I'll have your hide." She and Devan were lying prone on the searing desert sand next to some indigenous shrubs, waiting for a patrol to pass by before continuing on. The sun was up and about, raising temperatures to scorching levels. As they lay in wait, Devan made sure to lower the lens cap on her rifle's scope to get rid of any glare that might've given away their position.
To complement their desert-style uniform and sniper role, they had ghillie suits packed along with the rest of their gear. The suit was sand colored and consisted of a blanket-like shroud that covered their backs, making them blend better with their surroundings. It allowed the shooter to remain hidden longer while remaining prone on the ground, or while moving in the crouched position. They were both wearing them which made the temperature seem even hotter, but it was bearable for the moment.
Once the patrol was gone, Lucretia and Devan rose from the sand and continued on. Devan wiped the sand from her body and followed behind her superior. While they trekked through the sand dunes of the arid desert terrain, Lucretia couldn't help but let her mind wander again. She began thinking about her boyfriend and the many freedoms a life with him could offer. She smiled, recounting how she and he met in a casino one night and how he charmed her with riches.
Devan, feeling uneasy with the silence as they walked, decided to engage in small talk with her partner to pass the time. "So what kind of treasure are these guys after anyway, ma'am?" she asked.
Lucretia flinched then turned around. "What?" she asked.
Devan sighed and shook her head. "You're zoning out again. You're the one who's usually on point, but not today. You feeling all right?" she asked.
"Oh, I just have a lot of things on my mind. That's all," said Lucretia.
"Really? Is there anything I can help with?" asked Devan, moving beside her partner.
"Nope. What I'm thinking about doesn't concern you," said Lucretia.
"Okay then. So again, I ask, what are these guys specifically after? In the mission briefing, all they said was that the pirates were after items of high value. But what? I mean, these pirates are going through a lot of trouble just for one measly civilian transport," said Devan.
"It's no ordinary transport, but instead a high-security one used for moving high-value items. It's just disguised as a normal transport to throw people off. The transport was heading to Grimstone Bank, so who knows what could be on that ship. Jewels. Money. Precious heirlooms. Take your pick," said Lucretia as she licked her lips, visualizing the potential of what the treasure could be.
"Really? So how do you know all that, ma'am? Did you get a special brief I didn't know about?" asked Devan.
"What? No. It's just a hunch," said Lucretia stumbling a bit as she lost her footing momentarily in the sand.
Devan thought she saw something in Lucretia's eyes, but she shrugged it off as she continued along the way into the mass barrenness of the desert. She looked out into the distance and saw nothing but sand dune after sand dune. The planet they were on was pretty dull and lifeless, she thought, and she couldn't wait to get off of it. The sun was extra bright, and the air was dry and arid. Her tongue was parched as she opened her mouth to yawn. Looking on the bright side, Devan was content that at least she was doing another mission with Lucretia again. After a few more steps, Lucretia stumbled again.
"Are you sure you're all right? You're acting rather peculiar," said Devan.
"That wasn't me. There's something moving beneath the sand," said Lucretia as she stopped moving. Before they knew it, a creature rose out of the sand behind Devan, hissing and brandishing its sharpened claws. "Sand Mantis!" said Lucretia as she moved on instinct, pushing Devan out of the way and taking the swipe from the creature. Still reeling from the first hit, she then dropped her weapon after receiving another slash from the mantis.
Devan rolled off to the side then looked up at the thing attacking Lucretia. She took aim with her submachine gun and fired off a burst into the bug's head. The ten-foot tall creature had a brown, reinforced exoskeleton on its body which made small arms fire nearly ineffective, but its head was still a vulnerable spot. The mantis reeled from the attack then turned its attention towards her. It proceeded to move towards her until she fired another burst into its head, killing it instantly. The mantis fell next to Lucretia on the ground, twitching once or twice after it had died. Devan was about to make her way over to her mentor when another mantis appeared right behind her. Without hesitation, she aimed her gun and unloaded the rest of the magazine into the insect, causing it to churn out green hemolymph all over Lucretia.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" asked Devan while reloading her gun. She quickly retrieved a new magazine from her vest and slid it home in her submachine gun.
"Just dandy," said Lucretia as she flicked the blood from her hands.
Devan hurried Lucretia's side to see how she was doing, noticing the wounds that her partner had received during the engagement. "Ma'am, you're hurt!" she said, her eyes wide with concern as she felt the wounds on her body.
Lucretia wasn't concerned at all and casually took out her med-kit to treat the injuries. "This is nothing. Remember the nasty one I got on Kascus?" she asked.
"Don't remind me, ma'am. I nearly had a heart attack while waiting for you in the infirmary. Here, let me do it," said Devan as she gently took the medical supplies from Lucretia and continued tending to the cuts. She tenderly cleaned her up and patched the gashes closed, using the biofoam to keep the wounds sealed until they could be properly looked at by a professional.
"Thanks, Rook. You did a good job back there, taking out those two mantises," said Lucretia.
"Don't mention it," said Devan as she helped Lucretia to her feet. She then picked up Lucretia's rifle and gave it back to her with a smile. "All this daydreaming of yours is gonna get you killed."
Lucretia dusted off her weapon and gave Devan a stern look. "Don't worry about my daydreaming and just focus on the mission. What has gotten into you? All this extra attention you've been giving me is highly inappropriate behavior for a soldier, so quit it," she said. She tried to remain firm with her, but after noticing a distressed look on Devan's face, she realized that she was just taking out all her frustration on her. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just dealing with a lot. Let's keep moving."
Devan nodded and continued on their way, wondering about Lucretia's odd behavior in her mind. She then shook her head, putting the thoughts aside as she trekked along with her.
#
"There's the camp," said Lucretia as she peered through her spotter's scope.
"Got it. Searching for our target," said Devan while looking through her sniper rifle's scope, scanning the pirates' position for their leader. The pirates had set up a makeshift camp around the downed civilian transport, their own ship situated nearby.
Lucretia and Devan were positioned on top of a sand dune overlooking the camp from a distance. They were situated so that the sun was at their backs, making them harder to spot if anyone from the camp below happened to look up in their direction.
"Eyes on the hostages yet?" asked Lucretia.
"Not yet, ma'am," said Devan.
The two of them scanned back and forth through the camp until Lucretia spotted their target coming out of the downed ship's hull. "Command, we are at the final firing position and have the target confirmed. Awaiting further orders," said Lucretia over her com-link.
"Roger that, Lucky. Standby for further orders," said one of the operators back at mission command.
As they were waiting for the go ahead, Devan adjusted her rifle's scope to account for the several variables needed for an optimal firing trajectory. "Hey, what would you say is the approximate distance to the target?" she asked, but there was no response. "Lucky? Hey, Lucky?" She looked over and saw Lucretia staring through her scope in a trance like state, following the pirate leader as he walked around the camp. One hand was on her scope while the other was trembling near the sidearm at her waist. In her head, Lucretia was still contemplating the dilemma that had been troubling her all throughout the mission. Devan noticed her unbuckle her sidearm's holster and asked, "Lucky, you all right?"
Lucretia snapped out of it and moved her hand away from her sidearm. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she asked, turning her attention away from the scope and towards her partner.
"You were reaching for your sidearm," said Devan.
"Was I? I'm just anxious to get this guy, that's all," said Lucretia, her smile obviously fake.
Devan was too busy looking through her rifle's scope and didn't catch on to it. "I hear ya. Now help me with the firing solution. I asked about the distance to the target, but you were off in your own little world again," she said.
"Oh, sorry about that," said Lucretia as she refocused and looked back through the scope to start analyzing.
As Devan listened to her spotter and mentor, she adjusted the rifle as needed. "I think that just about does it. All we need to do is wait for the green light," she said.
"Yeah, now we wait. Keep an eye on the target," said Lucretia.
Several moments went by as the two snipers waited patiently in the unforgiving heat, their backs burning from the sun's rays and their stomachs heated from the scorching sand underneath them. Suddenly, Devan heard a hiss coming from behind Lucretia and looked away from her scope. She gasped and reached for her sidearm as a baby desert mantis lurked above her partner.
"Ma'am, don't move!" said Devan as she aimed her pistol and fired, blowing the mantis' head off as the rest of its body sunk back into the sand.
Lucretia winced at the sudden gunshot as it echoed through the desert. She then gave Devan a glare before looking through her scope. "You better hope the target didn't hear that…," she said as she peered through the scope. The target was obviously spooked and was looking in their direction.
"Shoot! He heard it! Permission to fire!?" asked Devan as she kept the crosshairs of her rifle on the pirate leader's head. "Wait, what's he doing now? Is he- calling someone?" Shortly after she said that, she heard a ringing coming from beside her.
Lucretia gulped nervously as she continued to look through the spotter's scope, the telltale jingle of a ringtone resonating from somewhere on her person. Devan slowly turned her head towards her, and she did the same, meeting her gaze. The two of them remained next to each other for a few moments, none of them making any sudden movements as the phone continued to ring. Lucretia's brow was covered in sweat drops, her breathing steady as she waited for her partner to make the first move.
As Devan began to raise her sidearm towards her, Lucretia acted fast and threw a handful of sand into her eyes to disorient her. While Devan was caught off guard and rubbing her eyes, Lucretia quickly got to her feet and kicked the gun out of her hand, drawing her own and aiming it at her partner.
After Devan recovered, she looked up to her partner while still sitting on the sand in disbelief. "Just what in the hell are you doing!?" she asked.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way. I'm just doing what my heart tells me…," said Lucretia as she remained firm, keeping her gun aimed straight at Devan.
The last thing she Devan saw was the silhouetted image of Lucretia and the business end of her sidearm a few inches from her face. Lucretia stood for a moment, silent and unyielding, staring cold-heartedly into her friend's eyes.
Devan started to tear up, confused and frightened at the sudden turn of events. "Please…," she said, her words somewhat distorted from her sobs.
"Sorry, Devan," said Lucretia.
Once Lucretia saw Devan's lips part to speak her name, she pulled the trigger on her .45 caliber handgun, firing a projectile right into her forehead. The shot rang through the surrounding desert as she kept her hand raised, taking in what she had just done. She then holstered her weapon as she stood over Devan's lifeless body. She had an emotionless expression as she watched the blood from the headwound start to seep into ground, mixing with the gritty sand. She pushed her partner's body out of the way with her foot and watched it tumble down the side of the dune.
After Devan's body came to halt on the face of the mound, Lucretia laid back down on the coarse sand and took hold of the sniper rifle, looking through the weapon's scope. She spotted the pirate leader looking into the distance, still holding the phone to his ear. She reached into her vest with a devious grin and answered the call, placing the phone to her head without diverting her gaze away from the pirate leader.
"Yeah?" asked Lucretia
"Is it all clear, Baby?"
"Yes, Love."
"You sure?"
"Don't worry; you'll be fine. I've got your back."
After making contact with Rayff, Lucretia stood up, picking up her rifle and slinging it over her shoulder as she rose to her feet. She looked into the sky and raised her right hand, extending her middle finger in defiance. The satellite hovering overhead in orbit saw her gesture and the officers watching were not amused.
"What in the world is she doing!? Why can't you get in contact with her!?" asked one of the officers taking in-charge of the operation.
"She's deactivated her com-link, sir. She's gone dark," said an operator in the room.
The officer was gripping the table firmly as he watched Lucretia on the monitor. "She's gone over the line. I want a kill order put out for Maj. Lucretia Ren on the double! She's not going to get away with this," he said, his teeth nearly gritted shut.
Lucretia looked toward the camp and made her way down to it, sliding down the side of the dune. Before continuing towards the camp, she walked over to Devan's body to check for extra supplies. "I'm sorry, but it's nothing personal. It was either you or my love, Rayff. And I chose him," she said, taking one last look at her deceased partner before walking off. As she approached the pirate encampment, a couple sentries raised their weapons at her as she got nearer.
"Hold it. Let me see your hands!" said one of the sentries.
"Put your guns down. I'm on your side, idiots," said Lucretia as she took off her helmet, attaching it to her utility belt.
"Lucretia? I didn't recognize you in your uniform. Sorry 'bout that," said one of the pirate sentries.
Lucretia casually passed them by as they lowered their rifles. She headed into camp in search of Rayff, the pirate leader and also her boyfriend. The pirates were almost done cutting through the safes in the civilian transport ship, so most of them were hustling about, making preparations to load the loot and escape.
Rayff spotted Lucretia and made his way over to her. "Hey, Baby. How are things on your end?" he asked.
"I've already dealt with the other Rose. And as for the backup sniper team, they won't get here in time. Trust me," said Lucretia.
"What about our exit plan?" asked Rayff.
"Shouldn't be a problem, so long as we have the hostage; they won't make a move. The nighttime sniper incursion was their only solution. Now that the mission was botched, they're out of alternatives," said Lucretia.
"Good. Very good. Everything is going according to plan. This is our biggest heist yet, so we can't afford any loose ends. Since you've done your part, you can relax in the ship while we loot the ship," said Rayff before giving Lucretia a kiss. He then left to supervise his crew during the last stage of the heist.
Lucretia watched in admiration as Rayff headed into the downed civilian transport, her heart a flutter from being in his presence again. Feeling the sweat accumulating on her forehead, she decided to head into the pirate ship to take a shower and unwind. She didn't have too much trouble finding her room, since she was already somewhat familiar with the ship. Upon entering the room she shared with Rayff, she vividly began to remember every aspect of it, despite only being in it once before. She leaned hers and Devan's submachine guns as well as Devan's sniper rifle against the wardrobe before heading into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She took off her utility belt with the helmet still attached and dropped it to the floor, followed by her gloves and tactical vest. After loosening her hair, she stared blankly into the mirror.
"What is wrong with me? I did what I had to do, didn't I? It was her or him. Damn the military for forcing me into this position," said Lucretia.
Lucretia continued to disrobe and took a long, hot shower to get her head straight. After she was cleaned up and dressed in new clothes, she headed outside to check on Rayff's progress. The pirates had broken through the safes, nearly completely the transfer of all the treasure over to their ship. She started to grow wide-eyed as she watched cart after cart filled with precious valuables being loaded into the cargo bay. She found Rayff inside the civilian transport filling the last cart.
"Almost done?" asked Lucretia after entering the ship's vault.
Rayff emptied the last tray of jewels into the cart and smiled with satisfaction. "Just about," he said.
"And I hope you haven't forgotten my share of the cut, right, Hon?" said Lucretia.
"Don't worry, Babe. You'll get yours. We couldn't have gotten this far without you," said Rayff.
"That's right, and don't forget it," said Lucretia with a playful smile.
"Of course, Darling. Now head outside and make sure everyone's loaded everything into the ship. We're getting outta here once we load this last cart," said Rayff.
Lucretia nodded and did as she was told. Once Rayff had loaded the last cart, he headed towards the bridge of his pirate ship for the final launch preparations.
"So, Lucretia, is there anything I should know about the military's plan of action before we lift off?" asked Rayff.
"Not really. Like I said before, they won't make any hostile actions while we have hostages. They're watching this site from orbit via satellite, so they know we have hostages onboard. By the way, do you have the decoy drones I told you to get?" asked Lucretia.
"They were a bit pricey, but I got 'em. Are they really necessary?" asked Rayff.
"Believe me, they're quite necessary. Don't worry. With this take, you should be able to get your money back and then some," said Lucretia.
"You think there are ships in orbit?" asked Rayff.
"I don't think there are any ships near us, but you never know what's lurking out there. So if there is something out there, they'll be on your ass once you jump if you don't have the decoys. Let's just hope they don't get lucky and choose the right signature," said Lucretia.
When everything was ready, Rayff gave the order and told his pilot to lift off. Once in orbit, the ship deployed several drones which flew away in random directions; they were meant to throw off any tailing military vessels that might be tracking them. Once the ship was a considerable distance away from the planet, they jumped into hyperspace toward an outer colony to enjoy their spoils.